In “A home far from home” this time we bring you the story of a family from Syria who chose Bulgaria to be their home far from home.

Presenting first the eldest child of the Abud family – Alyamama who is 12 and speaks Bulgarian very well. It took her just 18 months to learn to speak the language because of the friends she made in Sofia.

The young girl associates her home town in Syria with her big family.

“That is where I was born and where I lived for more of my years. That is where my aunt and my grandmother, and all of my friends are. That is where my life is.”

The girl has a dream of being able to speak different languages – besides Bulgarian and her mother tongue – Arabic – she wants to be able to speak English and German. Alyamama has never been to school in Syria, so she cannot read or write in Arabic. When she grows up she wants to be a dentist and make her grandmother’s dream come true.

The mother, Holud, is 38, and she says that the road to making her home a cozy one has been very difficult.

“I worked four years to be able to do away with the squalor at home but I like it in Bulgaria because it is peaceful. There is no war. My husband came here first, then I came a year later with the children. If things calm down in Syria and if it is possible to live there we shall go back,” says Holud.

The father, Ahmed says he chose Bulgaria after they had fled from the war in Syria because it is the fastest country for refugees. He has lived in refugee centres and he is grateful that just six months after arriving here, he was able to bring over his wife and his children.

“There is no war here and we found everything we needed in Syria. Our children have a school, and we have refugee status.”

Translated from the Bulgarian Milena Daynova